Counting Down to Christmas...and Having Fun along the Way!

Doesn't Thanksgiving seem like a lifetime ago?  It does for me.  Minutes have a way of becoming hours, which of course become days and before you know it weeks have passed and you were just flowing along with things.  Sometimes bad stuff comes up, and equally often, good stuff but usually it's just the usual day to day that moves the time along.  I think that's why I love Christmas.  There's a purpose to things that doesn't always exist the rest of the year, and things just naturally have a sparkle to them that makes everything a little more beautiful.

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful." ~Norman Vincent Peale

I'm watching my children get older and am almost the mom of two young adults.  It seems like yesterday that we were a young family, struggling to buy anything at Christmas and just being thankful for what gifts we were able to provide.  Fast forward all these years and you wonder what to buy them because they seem a bit more removed from your life and your confidence every day.  No longer all the cuddling timesto tell you what they hope Santa will bring or the handwritten letters to drop into the mail.  Now we have the creepy "Elf on a Shelf" to keep watch and emailed letters and videos and I guess I do get a bit nostalgic for our pre-internet childhood existence, at least as it applies to Christmas.  ;-)  Not that there isn't a wealth of knowledge out there and places like pinterest to make us all go into sensory overload and my favorite time waster of all, facebook, but it's just those memories that aren't the same for all those generations to come, in the same way our generation was a mystery to our parents and grandparents I guess.  I asked my son the other day about getting his younger cousins itunes gift cards as I had in the past and he looked at me like I was crazy.  "No one buys those anymore," he told me, as if it was the most outdated trend he'd ever heard of.  Well, I guess I am out of that loop too and on continues the cycle.  I do miss having him and his sister sit on my lap, all cuddled up with my babies, but I am proud to have such a wonderful son.  He has a heart that makes me proud.  And my daughter is my heart.  I just love her and hope for the world to open before her.  I know, I'm a mom, we want these things, but I'm just reliving all those Christmas memories that have become a part of my family's stories as I hang the decorations, especially the ornaments.  Each ornament has a story, a reason behind it's choice.  Each year, my children have always chosen one ornament without any input from me to add to our tree.  There is so much power in those memories.  As I hang the ornament, I can remember the moment they picked it out and it's one of my favorite traditions.  I'm sad that my daughter isn't at home anymore to keep it up, but I hope that it's a tradition she'll continue when she has children some day.  And I hope that before Christmas is over, the boy and I can find his addition to the tree this year.

"Like snowflakes, my Christmas memories gather and dance - each beautiful, unique and too soon gone." ~Deborah Whipp

So, this Christmas just seems different, but the same all at the same time.  We have been just enjoying each other's company as we hurdle toward this empty nest syndrome everyone's telling us about.  Personally, I think we'll be just fine!  We have some of the most awesome friends anyone could ask for and that is like a Christmas gift every day!  We spent this weekend running - pretty much all but 3 miles in the rain, running errands together which makes those chores go by quickly - and I love spending time in the market with him, and even went out for the first time in forever to a bar.  To drink.  It was a night of hanging out with a great couple and even running into quite a few other friends along the way.  Not that the food was spectacular..  The fries were salty, salty and more salty!  Add that to an already (still) upset tummy and it wasn't a good combo.  This week I'm going to work on a few other changes and see what I can do about getting this nausea gone.  I'd like to be able to eat for real again.  I'm still doing the Runner's World Holiday Running Streak which means I have to run every day between Thanksgiving and New Years.  So far, I haven't missed a day and was even in the paper.  Here's today's proof...thanks to my friend, Evans for the pic. We ran about 7 miles in the steady rain on the trails and had a great time!!  Another plus to the running streak is I am rolling on my way to hitting those 1000 miles this year....but I'm keeping my number secret until I actually hit the 1000.  And then I'll probably throw a party.

So, keep that Christmas spirit going strong at your home.  It shouldn't be limited to just one month, but while it's here, take advantage of it.  It is a beautiful time of year.

"What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future.  It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace." ~Agnes M. Pahro